Item register



Dec. 28, 1954 H. M. HANSON ITEM REGISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18 1951 Fig 2 @W JHHHI HM Harry M. Hanson INVENTOR.

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Dec. 28, 1954 Filed June 18 1951 Fig 3 H. M. HANSON 2,697,888

ITEM REGISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 6

Harry M. Hanson INVENTOR.

BY MM 153M154 3 ITEM REGISTER Harry M. Hanson, Eau .Claire, Wis. Application June 18, 1951, Serial N0. 232,144

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-86) My invention relates to improvements in item registers United States Patent for use especially in keeping inventory accounts of merchandise. stock.

. The primary object of my invention is to provide a simple form of manually operative register for the above purpose and which is adapted for easy manual operation to register on tapes at the top of a tray the number of items in stock for checking with an inventory sheet.

Other and subordinate objects, Within the purview of my invention, together with the precise nature of my improvements will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claim are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in plan illustrating a series of my improved registers mounted in the tray;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the register;

Figures 5 and 6 are front and rear views of the inventory sheet;

Figures 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views illustrating operation of the tapes of the register in registering numbers.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, according to my invention, a register 1 is provided comprising a substantially rectangular shell 2 having a bottom 3, sides 4 and a back 5 extending above the sides 4 for grasping the shell 2 by hand for a purpose presently seen.

Right and left hand pairs of upper and lower tape reels are provided in the shell 2 and are designated 6, 7 in the right hand pair and 8, 9 in the left hand pair. The upper reels 6, 8 of the pairs are rotatably mounted side by side,

in axial alignment, on a cross shaft 10 fixed in the sides 4 of the shell 2 and the lower reels 7, 9 of the pairs are similarly mounted on a lower cross shaft 11 fixed to said sides 4. Each reel 6, 7, 8, 9 is hollow, closed at its sides and provided with circumferential side flanges 12, 13, the

side flanges 13 being toothed, as at 14. As will be seen, the teeth 14 are equidistantly spaced around the flanges 13 and are disposed on corresponding sides of said reels.

A pair of numbered right and left hand tapes 15, 16 are suitably fixed at the ends thereof to the reels of the pairs 6, 7 and 8, 9 for winding from one reel of each pair on the other reel of the pair. The tape on the right hand pair of reels 6, 7 is provided with equidistantly spaced number symbols 17 thereon increasing consecutively in value from zero to 100, whereas, the tape 16 on the left hand pair of reels 8, 9 is provided with similarly spaced number symbols 18 increasing in value from zero consecutively by the value of 5 and to 500.

A pair of upright, leaf spring click pawls 19, in the rear of the reels 6, 7, 8, 9 are suitably bolted, as at 19' to the bottom 3 of the shell 2 and normally engage the teeth of the upper reels 6, 8 to yieldingly hold said reels in rotated position and provide for step by step rotation of said reels clockwise as viewed in Figures 1 and 2.

Release means for the pawls 19, 20 is provided in the form of a pair of plates 21, 22 in the shell 2, the plate 21 being interposed between the pairs of reels 6, 7, 8, 9, and the plate 22 being interposed between the pair of reels 8, 9 and the adjacent side 4 of the shell 2. The plates 21, 22 engage the pawls 19, 20 and are pivoted on the lower 2,697,888 I PatenteclDec. 28, 1954 cross shaft 11 for rearward rocking against said pawls to release the same. Arcuate slots 23, 24 are provided in the plates 21, 22 through which the upper cross shaft 10 extends for coaction with the ends of said slots to limit rocking movement of said plates. Lateral finger grip tabs 25, 26 extend from the upper front corners of said plates 21, 22 for manipulation to rock said plates. The sides 4 of the shell 2 are notched at the front edges thereof, as at 27, for easy access to the inside of the shell 2 in assembling the lower reels 7, 9, and attaching the tapes to said reels. A bowed leaf spring 29 with end openings 30 therein through which the shafts 10, 11 extend is provided on said shafts between the right hand pair of reels 6, 7 and the adjacent side 4 of the shell 2, said spring bearing at its ends against said reels and preventing side play of all of the reels on the shafts 10, 11.

A pair of fiat, hook-shaped keepers 28 opening toward each other are provided on the front, upper corners of the back 5 of the shell 2 for a purpose presently explained.

Referring now to the operation of the invention, and one illustrative use thereof, a series of the described registers 1 are slidably fitted in pockets arranged in rows in a suitable tray 36, each register 1 for keeping an inventory account with a related inventory record sheet 37 having ruled column spaces 38, 39, for recording therein the number of incoming items in stock, the number of outgoing items, and a balance of the items in stock, respectively, the columns 38, 39 being appropriately headed in and out. As an example of operation of a register 1, in connection with such a sheet 37, and referring I particularly to Figure 7, let it be assumed that there are 600 of a class of items in stock. The left hand tape 16 of the appropriate register 1 is operated by turning the teeth 14 of the lower reel 8 of the left hand pair until said tape registers at the top of said reel the number 500, as shown in Figure 7. The right hand tape 15 is similarly operated by operating the lower reel 7 of the left hand pair until the tape 15 registers 100 at the top of the upper reel 6 of the right hand pair, as also shown in Figure 7. In thus operating the register, the pawls 19, 20 are released so that the tapes may be operated in the proper direction by rotation of the lower reels 7, 9. The register, thus set, is placed in its pocket 35. The sum of the numbers thus registered equals 600 which is noted in the proper column 38 to record the number of items on the inventorysheet 37. Now, if a sale is made, for instance of seven of the items, for outgoing invoice, the left hand tape 16 is operated in the opposite direction, one step, that is clockwise, one step of movement of the reel 8 and the right hand tape 15 is similarly operated, both tapes being operated, in this instance, by means of the teeth 14 on the upper reels 15, 16 of the pairs. The tape 16 now registers at the top of the upper reel 8 the number 495, and the tape 15 registers at the top of the upper reel 6 the number 98 (see Figure 8). Thus the tapes 15, 16 will now register the numbers 495 and 98 which added make a total of 593 items in stock which number is noted in the last or balance column 40 of the sheet 37 while the number of outgoing items is noted in the appropriate column 39. If a new shipment of the items arrive, in inventory, for instance 100 of the items, and of the items are subsequently moved out of stock, the balance then on hand would be registered on the register 1 by operation of the register in the same manner as already described to register 50 to be subtracted on the sheet 37 from the balance 593 and entered in the out column 39 with the incoming items entered in the in column 38. Now the pawls 19, 20 are again released and by rotating the lower reels 7, 9, the tapes 15, 16 are rolled back, or reversed, to register the new balance at the top of the upper reels 6, 8 and establish a check balance for the new balance.

Provision is made on both sides of the sheet 37 for other data, not important to the present invention, and which need not be described. At the end of an invoice accounting operation, the sheet 37 may be folded and slipped into the back of the shell 2 in the keepers 28 for storage purposes. As will be clear, the register 1 is removed or withdrawn from its pocket 35 for releasing the pawls 19, 20 and operating the lower reels 7, 9.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufiice to impart a clear understanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of iirdifieation, without departing" from the inventive concept, and r'iglitis-hereiri reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A" register comprising a rectangular shell having sides, and an open top and front, side by sidepairs of upper and lower reels" rotatably mounted in the shell between tne'sides thereof with the upper reels of the pair axially aligned at the top of the shell, tapes fixed to the reels of each pair for unwindin from one reel of each pair onto the other reel of each pair, circumferentially spaced teeth on one side of each reel for manipulation by hand to rotate the reels, leafspring click pawls mounted in said shell on the bottom wall thereof with upper ends in the rear of the upper reels and dogging the teeth of the upper reels for step by step rotation of said upper reels in one direction, number symbols on said tapes spaced apart in correspondence with the spacing of said teeth and movable selectively to the tops of said upper reels through step by step rotation of either reel to which the tapes are fixed and for registering numbers thereon side by side at the top of the register, and pawl release means in said shell operative through the open front of the shell to free said pawls from said teeth and thereby provide for free reverse rotation of said upper reels comprising pawl engaging plates rockably mounted on the lower shaft and having slots through which the upper shaft extends and coacts therewith to limit rocking of said plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 687,487 Powell Nov. 26, 1901 1,246,860 Brachtl Nov. 20, 1917 1,381,711 Kreipel June 14, 1921 1,656,227 Patchin Jan. 27, 1928 1,999,471 Nickerson Apr. 30, 1935 2,063,126 Schelly Dec. 8, 1936 2,163,128 McGill June 20, 1939 

